I need you
by myra-5
Summary: After the steerage party Rose heads back to her stateroom. What happens when Cal discovers she has been gone all night with Jack? I do not own these characters!
1. Default Chapter

I need you.  
  
Chapter One  
  
A hard bang on the door made Jack Dawson get out of bed. Not that he was asleep anyway.  
  
He couldn't get her face out of his thoughts. Every time he closed his eyes he could see her. The whole night rolled over like a film every time he closed his eyes. Her face, her smile, her fiery hair and her eyes. Those radiant eyes.  
  
They had shone tonight. For the first time since he had met her. For a few hours the sadness which seemed to be eternally in her eyes had faded away and nothing but pure joy had taken over. The dinner, the steerage party and the walk back to the first class entrance kept rolling in his mind.  
  
He had really fallen for her this night. She had been so beautiful, so alive, so his. As if they had known each other for years. He could still feel her touch, the way she felt in his arms.  
  
Everything about tonight had seemed so right to him, until their walk on the boat deck.  
  
"What would you wish for?"  
  
"Something I can't have."  
  
That's when he realized that whatever he felt for her couldn't be. She was engaged to someone else. She lived in a world completely different from his.  
  
Then why did everything he felt seem so right? He needed to know if he was the only one feeling the way he did. He would confront her with his own feelings tomorrow. Now he just needed to get to sleep and forget about her, just for a couple of hours.  
  
Another hard knock on the door woke him up from his daydream.  
  
"Jack, are you there? Jack, I need you." That was Rose's voice. What was she doing here? Jack could sense there was something wrong. Her voice sounded different from other times. It was obvious she had been crying.  
  
He opened the door just in time to catch Rose in his arms.  
  
Thank God." was the only thing she was able to say before losing consciousness.  
  
"Rose, wake up. Rose, what's wrong?"  
  
Jack suddenly saw the swollen cheek, the bruises on her face and the little stream of blood rolling out of her mouth. She was black and blue all over and he knew something terrible had happened to her. It didn't take him long to realize what.  
  
Cal must have found out where she had been all night, with him.  
  
"God, wait till I get my hands on him." Jack whispered under his breath.  
  
He had to get her to a doctor immediately. But he couldn't keep her here in his room, in third class. He had to get her back to first class.  
  
Molly would help him. He knew where her stateroom was and he still had to return the tuxedo anyway. She would be safe there.  
  
In the morning Cal would be sending his footman out to find Rose as soon as he discovered she wasn't in her stateroom. And Cal would know where to find her.  
  
So he gently laid Rose down on his bed and changed into his tuxedo. There would be a lot less questions asked if the stewards thought him to be a first class passenger.  
  
He made a little bundle of his own clothes because he knew he could not stand another two hours in the tux.  
  
All this time he didn't keep his eyes of Rose, making sure she was still breathing.  
  
As soon as he was ready, he took her in his arms again and started the long way back to first class. He decided to go by the boat deck. At this time of night there would hardly be any passengers left outside and he would be able to get Rose safe before Cal found out she was gone.  
  
Jack shivered as the cold wind swept around his body. He had no idea it got this cold out during the night.  
  
As he reached the first class entrance he took a deep breath before getting inside. He quickly made his way through the long corridors trying to remember where Molly's room was.  
  
"Hold on Rose, we're almost there." He said to calm her down even though she was still unconscious. Suddenly he was standing in front of Molly's stateroom. He knocked softly on the door.  
  
"Molly, are you there? Please wake up. I need your help. It's Jack."  
  
A stumble could be heard coming out of the stateroom and very soon after that the door opened.  
  
"Boy what are you doing waking people up in the middle of the night?"  
  
Jack stormed through the door still carrying Rose in his arms.  
  
"Oh my God." Was all Molly had been able to utter as she saw Rose's face. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know," Jack replied, "a few minutes ago there was a loud knocking on my door, when I opened up Rose was standing there, looking like this. Molly you gotta help her."  
  
"Calm down boy. I'll go and fetch the doctor; you better stay here with Rose in case she wakes up or something. You can put her in my bed for the time being. Don't worry Jack, she's gonna be alright, I promise."  
  
And with that Molly was gone.  
  
"Come on Rose, let's put you in bed. Let me clean this mess of your face. Rose please wake up, just give me some kind of sign you're alright."  
  
Jack got a towel out of the bathroom and wiped the little stream of blood out of her face. He sat down beside her on the bed, gently stroking her hair, and whispered some words into her ear.  
  
"I'm here Rose, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, at least not unless you want me to. I swear I'm gonna get Cal for this, he won't get away with it. But right now I just need you to wake up alright. You gotta tell me what happened."  
  
At that Rose mumbled something he couldn't understand but at least now he knew she could hear him. She was still unconscious and Jack was starting to get worried why it took so long for her to wake up.  
  
After what seemed to be an eternity Molly came back, a man carrying a leather bag walked in right behind her.  
  
"Can anyone tell me what happened?" he asked.  
  
"We don't know exactly. Mr. Dawson here found her like this close to my room. She fell unconscious just as he found her some 30 minutes ago." Jack got up and took a seat in a chair next to the bed, giving the doctor the opportunity to examine her.  
  
"Well, it's obvious she has been hit. Pretty hard it seems. Was she bleeding when you found her?"  
  
"Yes," Jack replied, "a little bit out of the corner of her mouth. Nowhere else though."  
  
"Would you two please excuse me as I examine the young lady a bit further. I have to make sure she's not bruised or wounded anywhere else."  
  
"Of course. Come Jack, I think a glass would do both of us good. Come with me to the sitting room."  
  
Even though he was reluctant to let Rose out of his sight, he joined Molly, knowing that the doctor had to be given time to check Rose thoroughly.  
  
Molly poured a glass of brandy for both herself and for Jack.  
  
"Here, this will do you good." She said, handing the glass to Jack.  
  
"I'm still trying to figure out why Cal would do such a thing. I reckon he's not the gentlest man on the planet but he ain't a beast either."  
  
"It's all my fault." Jack replied. "I never should have taken her to that party. But she looked so happy Molly. She had the best time in years."  
  
"What party Jack?"  
  
"After dinner Rose didn't go to her stateroom as she said she would. I had asked her to come to a steerage party. I just wanted to show her a good time, I wanted to see her enjoy herself. Apparently Cal found out."  
  
"Jack, I told you you were going into the snake pit but I was wrong. You're already in it. You're in love with her aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, desperately. And I know it's not gonna work out and that I'm gonna be left with a broken heart and everything but it just feels so right Molly. I've never felt this way about anybody ever before. I know everything about it is wrong, she's engaged to another man, I've got nothing to offer her, hell I don't even know how she feels about all this but I just can't help feeling the way that I am."  
  
"Boy, you're not only stupid but blind too."  
  
Jack looked at Molly in awe.  
  
"Don't you know when someone is in love with you? I can see, Ruth can see, hell even Cal can see it. She's crazy about you! Why do you think Cal reacted the way he did?"  
  
"Rose loves me?"  
  
"More than she knows. It takes a woman to know." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
  
A/N: Thank you guys so much for being so patient!!! I know it has taken me a whole lot of time to write the next chapter. The reason for the delay is my schoolwork. I promise that from now on I'll post on a more regular basis. Enjoy! :-) PS: please read and review, I could use some advice!  
  
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It took Jack some time to let the depth of Molly's words sink in.  
  
Was she serious?  
  
Did Rose really love him?  
  
He could hardly believe it and yet as he reflected on everything that had happened today he remembered seeing some of that same glimmer in her eyes he had seen in his own.  
  
Molly just sat in her chair sipping some of the brandy and could hardly repress a smile.  
  
'Stupid boy' she thought, 'I'd think you'd know when a girl is in love with you. It won't be the first time you captivated a woman. But maybe this is the first time you feel the same about her.'  
  
"So, now you know." She said to break the long silence, "make sure she doesn't get away Dawson, she's a good girl, maybe even a bit too good for ya."  
  
A knock on the door disturbed their conversation.  
  
Jack quickly got up from his seat and rushed to open the door.  
  
"How is she?" was all he asked.  
  
"I came to ask Mrs Brown to undo the young lady's dress and corset. I have reason to believe she has internal bleedings but I can't be sure until I have examined her completely."  
  
"Of course. Won't take a minute."  
  
Molly got up and stepped in the bedroom, Jack following her but she turned and said to him: "Son, why don't you stay right where you were? I don't think Rose would appreciate it much if you were there."  
  
"You're right." He answered, "I just wanted to make sure she's okay."  
  
"She is, boy, she is. Take my word on it."  
  
At that Molly closed the door behind her and prepared Rose for the doctor.  
  
"Sir can you tell me anything yet? How bad is she?" the distress was obvious in Jack's voice.  
  
"She must have received a couple of serious blows and she'll probably have a concussion too, she has a small head wound so I suspect she has been hit on the head as well."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Her abdomen seems swollen; it's even visible through her corset so I fear she has internal bleedings."  
  
"How bad is that?"  
  
"Pretty bad sir, because I don't have the necessary equipment to treat something like that. She might even have to undergo surgery, something which is absolutely impossible on this ship."  
  
Jack felt all the blood leave his face, he knew looked pale.  
  
"And what will happen if she doesn't have surgery on time?"  
  
"I'll be frank sir, if the wounds are severe; there is a chance she might not make it."  
  
Not make it? Jack could not believe his own ears. No, Rose would make it; he would fight to make sure she would.  
  
At that Molly stepped back into the room.  
  
"She's ready for you sir."  
  
The doctor nodded and left the room.  
  
"Jack, what's wrong?" Molly asked as she saw his desperate face.  
  
"He said she might not make it."  
  
"I don't think it's so bad."  
  
"She might have internal bleedings and if she does, there's no way to treat her here. We would have to wait till we get to New York and that could be too late."  
  
Molly just stared at her hands, she was dumbstruck.  
  
"I swear I'm gonna get Cal for this." Jack whispered under his breath.  
  
"Revenge won't help Rose right now but if you ever need a helping hand to make Cal pay, you can count on me."  
  
Suddenly the door opened and the doctor told them they could come in.  
  
Immediately Jack retook his place next to Rose.  
  
"I have good and bad news." The doctor told both of them.  
  
"You'd better give us the bad news first." Molly answered, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.  
  
"She does have internal bleedings."  
  
Little black spots appeared before Jack's eyes as he took in the doctor's words.  
  
"And the good news?" he asked.  
  
"She won't need any urgent treatment. We can wait until we dock."  
  
Jack could not hold the deep sigh which escaped his lips in.  
  
"Thank God." Molly whispered.  
  
"Is there anything we can do right now?" She asked.  
  
"Not really. Just make sure that she doesn't move too much when she wakes up. It might make things worse if she makes any brusque movements."  
  
"You mean she will wake up?" Jack wanted to know, he could hardly hide the hope in his voice.  
  
"I expect she'll wake up by morning."  
  
The doctor stood up and moved towards the door.  
  
"There's nothing more I can do here. I'll leave some painkillers if she should be in pain."  
  
"Thank you very much sir." Jack said as he stood up and shook the doctor's hands.  
  
"You take good care of her now sir," the doctor told him, "she might be a little confused when she wakes up."  
  
Then he leaned in a little closer to Jack and said: "Try to find out who did this to her sir, this should not go unpunished."  
  
"You can count on me sir, I wasn't planning on letting this pass without bringing the bastard to justice."  
  
The doctor nodded once more, shook Molly's hands and left. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
  
"Molly, thank you so much for helping Rose out. I didn't know where else to go."  
  
"You don't have to thank me Jack; any decent person would do this."  
  
She smiled as she patted his back.  
  
"If you want, you can stay here tonight. If you don't mind I'd like to get a few more hours of sleep before heading to Mass in the morning."  
  
"Of course. But where will you sleep? I mean Rose..."  
  
"Don't you worry about that, I'll take the big couch in the sitting room, I suppose it'll hold me."  
  
Molly walked over to the sitting room door and looked once more at Jack leaning over Rose to pull the sheets even a bit higher to make sure she was warm enough.  
  
"Young love," she whispered to herself, "I'd almost forgotten how beautiful it can be."  
  
At that she stepped inside and left Jack alone with Rose.  
  
Jack couldn't stop looking at Rose; she looked so gorgeous lying there, even with the bruises on her face and the little black circle under her eye.  
  
Molly's words rang even louder in his ears now: 'She loves you.'  
  
Now looking down on her he could hardly believe it.  
  
Rose was sophisticated; she was first class for crying out loud.  
  
And engaged too!  
  
What did he have to offer her?  
  
Apart from his heart?  
  
Suddenly it struck Jack like lightening coming out of a clear sky.  
  
Maybe that was what she wanted.  
  
Just to be loved, not to be showered by gifts that didn't even come from the heart.  
  
Those thoughts warmed him inside.  
  
Maybe Molly was right, maybe he wasn't the only feeling the way he did.  
  
"Come on Rose, don't give up. Please wake up. I still have so much to tell you."  
  
Without really realizing it, his hand sought Rose's.  
  
Even the slightest touch ran shivers down his spine.  
  
"What about that trip to Santa Monica, the rollercoaster and the horseback ride? You haven't forgotten about that, have you?"  
  
"Just show me that fire inside of you is still there. That fire that makes you so special. Prove that Cal has not beaten you."  
  
And so he sat there, silently holding Rose's his hand as slumber started to take over him.  
  
Before he knew, he drifted off into a light sleep, his head resting on the pillow next to Rose, hearing and feeling her breath.  
  
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The next thing Jack felt was the warmth of an early sunbeam on his face.  
  
As he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed that Rose had slipped closer to him until she was practically lying in his arms.  
  
In fact he had even put his arm around her waist in his sleep.  
  
God that felt good.  
  
She was close enough for him to smell her hair, the little hint of lavender.  
  
As he softly let go of her, she shifted a little and mumbled something.  
  
He realized she was gonna wake up any minute.  
  
He got up and splashed some water in his face, trying to wake up from the beautiful dream he had had.  
  
Actually it hadn't even been much of a dream.  
  
In his sleep every moment spend with Rose had rolled before his eyes.  
  
When he heard her shuffle even more he stepped back over to the bed and sat down beside her, waiting for her eyes to flutter open.  
  
A few minutes later they did.  
  
He was staring in the most beautiful pair of blue eyes he had ever seen.  
  
"Good morning sleepyhead." He joked.  
  
"Jack," she answered, her voice very weak, "what, how."  
  
"Sh, it's alright."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
"All I remember is walking in my stateroom and seeing Cal there. All the rest is black."  
  
She winced as she tried to sit up.  
  
"Don't get up," Jack said, as he gently placed her back between the sheets.  
  
"Last night you came to my cabin and fainted in my arms. I brought you to Molly's room and had the doctor look at you. You've been hit Rose. Don't you remember that?"  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I don't remember anything."  
  
"You have a couple of bruises and something which is becoming a black eye I fear. And worse, you have internal bleedings; you have to stay still as much as you can."  
  
"Internal bleedings." she whispered.  
  
"Don't worry, nothing terrible. You'll just have to be careful that's all."  
  
For a moment Rose just stared in front of her trying to grasp what had happened.  
  
Luckily Jack was there for her.  
  
"Thank you Jack. For doing this I mean. I didn't wanna cause you any trouble."  
  
"Rose you could never cause any trouble for me. You should know that, I thought we were friends."  
  
'And I even wish we were something more.' he thought to himself but he didn't have the guts to say these words out loud.  
  
Rose smiled one of her brilliant smiles again and he felt his knees get weak.  
  
"How do you feel?" he asked to break the silence.  
  
"I feel pretty good. No pain or anything."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"Jack, what will happen now? I can't go back to him, I just can't."  
  
"We'll figure something out, don't you worry. I won't let you go back."  
  
"Hold me Jack. I just need someone right now."  
  
His eyes grew wide at her request but he knew he couldn't refuse it. He didn't even want to.  
  
So Jack leaned in and felt Rose throw her arms around him, clinging on to him.  
  
He could feel her tremble and noticed he was doing the same. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Four  
  
After what seemed an eternity Jack broke the embrace.  
  
Feeling Rose in his arms like that became too much for him to handle.  
  
Suddenly he felt her lips on his cheek and he knew he was blushing.  
  
"My little way of thanking you since you don't seem to accept it when I put it in words." She whispered in his ear.  
  
"Rose."  
  
For the first time in his life, Jack Dawson found himself lost for words.  
  
Rose didn't say anything, she just smiled and the mischief glimmered in her eyes.  
  
"Are you sure you're fine?"  
  
"Yes, I just feel so weak. Like I could sleep for days."  
  
"Just sleep then. I'll stay right here, I won't go anywhere."  
  
Rose leaned back against her pillow but she felt she couldn't sleep.  
  
Not while Jack was so close beside her.  
  
She wanted to talk to him, get to know him better  
  
"The sun is rising." Rose said.  
  
"Yeah, would you like to see it?"  
  
"Would I!"  
  
Jack helped her out of bed and gave her the dressing gown Molly had laid out for her.  
  
Rose took his hand as they slipped out to the private promenade deck.  
  
Jack heard her hold her breath.  
  
"This is so beautiful."  
  
"Almost as beautiful as you." He teased.  
  
"What me? With a black eye and bruises all over!"  
  
"Don't underestimate yourself Rose, I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you."  
  
"You're just saying that."  
  
She couldn't hide the blush on her cheeks.  
  
Apparently she wasn't as insensible to his compliments as Jack thought she was.  
  
The silence that hung between them was not threatening at all, Jack loved the feel of her soft hand in his own as both stared at the sunrise.  
  
"Do you remember what I told you last night, when you asked me what I wished for after seeing that shooting star?"  
  
All too well, he thought to himself.  
  
"You said you wished for something you can't have."  
  
"If it's any constellation, I'm still wishing for it."  
  
For a moment she looked away but then turned her face towards him again and continued.  
  
"I never asked you what you wished for."  
  
"I don't think it's all that important. Besides if I tell you it won't come true."  
  
"Not even a little hint?" she teased.  
  
"Rose, you are unbelievable."  
  
Another silence followed.  
  
Jack turned to see Rose stare at the sunrise some more and noticed she was shivering.  
  
So he pulled her closer and tried to warm her.  
  
All she did was smile at this unexpected but very tender gesture.  
  
'If only he had the guts to tell me how he feels.' Rose whispered to herself.  
  
The rising sun filled the air with a magnificent orange glow and she couldn't remember when she had ever felt this safe, being in Jack's embrace and resting her head against his chest.  
  
As she looked up to him Jack turned his head to gaze at her.  
  
His lips were only a few inches away, just like they had been yesterday night.  
  
Just like then Rose felt the incredible desire to kiss him, to show him how she felt.  
  
But she didn't have the courage to do so.  
  
She had to be sure of Jack's feelings before destroying the wonderful friendship they shared.  
  
The only true friendship she had ever known.  
  
Rose knew that Jack maybe underestimated the situation.  
  
Cal would not rest until he had her; he would send Lovejoy to search every little corner on this massive ship.  
  
What would happen if he found her together with Jack Dawson, the man Cal despised already?  
  
She tried desperately to remember what happened last night after she had entered her stateroom.  
  
All she could recollect was the look on Cal's face.  
  
Anger, jealousy and even a little bit of sadness.  
  
She knew she was hurting him, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, Rose knew that Cal did love her.  
  
That he loved her very much.  
  
But she didn't share his feeling, was that her fault?  
  
Was it her fault that she dreamed of a life with this man, this man who was holding her so tenderly in his arms right now?  
  
Was it her fault that she tried to find a way out of the engagement?  
  
For a moment she felt guilty, she never wanted to hurt Cal, no matter how much he had hurt her, he had been good to her, he had been there when she needed a shoulder to cry on when her father had passed away.  
  
But to her, that was all he could ever be.  
  
A companion, someone to talk to, she didn't even consider him to be friend, then how could she think of him as her fiancé, as her husband to have and hold?  
  
Jack was a true friend, she wasn't afraid of telling him what she wanted to say without having to think which words she would use.  
  
And still she wanted more than friendship from him, she wanted to see his face and feel his arms around her day in and day out.  
  
How could she make him understand?  
  
How could she make him love her?  
  
Jack noticed how far of in thoughts Rose was.  
  
All he hoped for was that she was thinking of him, just as he was thinking of her. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five  
  
They stood there staring at the sunrise, both thinking about the other.  
  
Rose hardly dared to shift in his embrace fearing that if she did he would let go of her.  
  
She needed his arms around her more than ever; she had to know she wasn't alone in the world.  
  
Never had Rose felt so lonely and yet so close to someone.  
  
Jack Dawson.  
  
She loved him, she was sure, but how did he feel?  
  
She needed to know.  
  
His lips were still so close.  
  
Slowly she leaned in until she was mere inches away from kissing him.  
  
And she knew she couldn't hold herself any longer.  
  
Rose looked in his eyes and suddenly she saw what she had never seen before.  
  
Or maybe she had already seen but never wanted to believe it.  
  
She stared in his eyes and saw the same glimmer of love she had seen inside her own.  
  
She leaned in even a little bit more and so did he.  
  
Suddenly their lips met, the same orange glow of the sunrise still filled the air.  
  
Rose felt his embrace grow even tighter, without knowing she let her hand play through his hair.  
  
Jack had never felt this complete, so loved, so needed.  
  
His mind was racing, was this really happening or was he just imagining it?  
  
Was his mind playing tricks on him?  
  
If it was, then why did it feel so real?  
  
This wasn't a figment of his imagination, this was real.  
  
As they broke the kiss, both were just a tiny little bit shy. "Rose." was all Jack was able to say.  
  
"I'm sorry Jack, I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what I was thinking. I would never want to."  
  
Jack didn't let her finish her sentence.  
  
He leaned back closer and kissed her again. This time realizing the reality of it all.  
  
And so did she as she deepened it kiss.  
  
God, he was an amazing kisser!  
  
Jack was the first to break the kiss.  
  
"Let's get you back inside. It's still pretty cold outside."  
  
"Is that all you can say?" Rose asked.  
  
"I know; I'm sorry. I panicked; I didn't know what to say."  
  
Both of them couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"I suppose we should get back inside. It is rather chilly." Rose said.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose we should."  
  
As they stepped inside Molly opened the door of the bedroom and peeked inside.  
  
"Ah Rose, I see you're up. How are you feeling sweetie?"  
  
"Very well Molly. Thank you."  
  
Molly looked at the enormous grin on Jack's face and knew enough.  
  
"Well I'm off to mass. I won't ask you to join me, don't worry. I don't know when I'll be back. Probably not before this afternoon. I don't feel like getting changed for lunch today. Jack take good care of Rose will you. She'd better get back in bed."  
  
At that Molly left but she couldn't wipe away the smile on her face. 


End file.
